CONTROVERSY has trailed the Senate’s confirmation of some Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) on Thursday, November 1.
The confirmation of Abubakar Dambo and Mohammed Abubakar Sadiq as RECs for Zamfara and Niger states instead of Ismaila Kaura Moyi and Mohammed Yelwa, earlier appointed by Nigerian President Bola Tinubu generated protests from residents of the states.
A statement by Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity Ajuri Ngelale on Wednesday, October 25, disclosed that Tinubu transmitted a list of nominees to the Senate for approval, and those appointed include Etekamba Umoren for Akwa Ibom and Oluwatoyin Babalola for Ekiti state.
Others are Isah Shaka Ehimeakne for Edo, Abubakar Ahmed Ma’aji for Gombe, Shehu Wahab for Kwara, Bunmi Omoseyindemi for Lagos, Aminu Kasimu Idris for Nasarawa, Mohammed Yelwa for Niger, Anugbum Onuoha for Rivers and Isma’ila Kaura Moyi for Zamfara state.
However, during the screening and confirmation exercise, the Senate confirmed Dambo as the Zamfara REC and Sadiq for Niger state instead of Yelwa, and this sparked protests from residents of the states.
Zamfara youths petition INEC
In Zamfara state, the Youth Alliance for Community Development petitioned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in a letter shared with The ICIR, dated November 5, querying Dambo’s confirmation as REC despite not being included in the transmitted list and his political affiliations. The ICIR could not independently verify if the letter was delivered to INEC.
Dambo had served as a Commissioner under the immediate past governor of Zamfara, Bello Matawalle.
“Mr. Chairman, it is on record that Mr. Abubakar Sarkin Pawa Dambo, the nominee cleared by the Nigerian Senate instead of the names transmitted by Mr. President, is a card-carrying member of ruling APC, having served in various capacities in the previous administrations of the state.
“Mr. Dambo contested and won a chairmanship position in Bakura Local Government Area between 2007 and 2011 under the administration of Mamuda Aliyu Shinkafi. He also served as Special Adviser (SA) to Governor Abdul’aziz Yari Abubakar during his tenure between 2015 and 2019. He was also the immediate past commissioner for local government and chieftaincy affairs to the former governor of the state, Muhammad Bello Matawalle,” the letter read.
Similar concerns had been raised by the Executive Director of Civil Society Organisation Yiaga Samson Itodo, who faulted the confirmation of the RECs based on their political affiliations.
The petition also disclosed that Dambo was the party representative of the APC at the Bakura Local Government Area of the state during the 2019 and 2023 general elections, which it said made his nomination as REC an affront to the 1999 Constitution, which requires that persons appointed as INEC RECs be non-partisan.
“In view of this, we, the undersigned as well-meaning citizens of Zamfara state, implore you to use your good office to revisit the issue of substitution of Mr. Dambo against the candidate earlier nominated by Mr. President as resident electoral commissioner from Zamfara State,” the petitioners demanded.
Claiming that those responsible for the substitution had plans to sabotage the current government, the petitioners called on INEC to facilitate Tinubu’s involvement in the issue to “fish out the perpetrators of this illegal substitution.”
Senate confirms politically-exposed RECs
Apart from the Zamfara REC member, some other officers confirmed had previously held political offices or are affiliated with politicians.
In Akwa Ibom, Etekamba Umoren had served as Chief of Staff to the Senate President Godswill Akpabio when he was governor of the state between 2007 and 2014. He joined the APC in 2018.
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) vehemently opposed his confirmation, describing it as an imposition.
Also, Edo state REC Isah Shaka supported Tinubu during the 2023 general elections. The Lagos state and Rivers states Omoseyindemi and Onuoha have also been found to have political affiliations with politicians, including Tinubu and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike.
This runs afoul of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended.
Third Schedule of the Constitution, Paragraph 14 provides that persons to be appointed as RECs “be persons of unquestionable integrity” due to the delicate nature of the position.
In Nigeria, RECs are in charge of the election body, INEC, at the state level and are expected to provide proper, unbiased verification and transmission of election results.
We did not substitute nominee’s names – Senate
It remains unclear why the Senate confirmed names different from the list transmitted by the President.
The ICIR sent a text message to the Spokesperson of the Nigerian Senate, Yemi Adaramodu, asking if a subsequent list was transmitted by the President or what other reasons may have been responsible for the change.
On Wednesday, November 8, Adaramodu said he was in a meeting and would respond after the meeting. However, he has yet to respond as of the time of filing this report.
However, he had been quoted as saying that those screened were identified by Senior Special Assistant(SSA) to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Abdullahi Abubakar Gumel.
“It is those that were brought by the SAA with all their papers that will be screened, and he will identify them physically. The nominees do not come from the Senate. We screened as they were brought with their CVs, security clearance, and code of conduct clearance,” Adaramodu said.
Also, he absolved the Senate of blame for confirming the individuals as RECs.
“It’s not for us, it’s not for me, it’s not for anybody to suggest that you are likely to be a member of a party. But whoever has facts is supposed to bring the facts before the Senate,” he said.
Ijeoma Opara is a journalist with The ICIR. Reach her via [email protected] or @ije_le on Twitter.